title: Suicidal behavior and related traits among inpatient adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suicide is a major cause of death in adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia (FES). The aim of this pilot study was to compare suicide-related traits between subjects with FES and those with other psychopathologies to evaluate risk factors for suicidal behavior.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five inpatient adolescents with FES and a control group of 28 psychiatric inpatients matched for sex and age were assessed for depression, anger, criminal behavior, aggression, and suicidal ideation, risk, and potential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The adolescents with FES had significantly lower depression (P = .003), anger (P = .025), and criminal behavior (P = .022) than did the controls. However, although suicide ideation was greater in the subjects with FES (P = .003), suicide risk was significantly lower than that in controls (P = .004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased levels of both depression and anger as part of affective constriction in the group with schizophrenia could explain why the increased suicide ideation did not lead to a higher suicide risk in these inpatients. This study highlights the importance of distinguishing between suicidal ideation and actual suicide risk. We demonstrated that thoughts of suicide do not necessarily translate into an actual risk of suicidal behavior in adolescents with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Gal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shoval
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feld-Olspanger
authors.forename: Eitan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nahshoni
authors.forename: Doron
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gothelf
authors.forename: Sagit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Misgav
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Manor
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Apter
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zalsman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D059020:Suicidal Ideation